Chelsea decide against Charly Musonda loan move in January

Antonio Conte will seek to block any attempts from Charly Musonda to leave Chelsea on loan in January and wants him to remain at the club for the rest of the season.

Musonda, 21, looked to have damaged his chances of breaking into the Blues first-team with an Instagram post two weeks ago where the Belgian youngster appeared to attack the club over his lack of first-team opportunities.

The attacking midfielder wrote: "You sacrifice, you work hard, harder, you give more than what is expected. And what do you get back? Literally nothing. Done."

Prior to those comments, Musonda had started just one match for the Blues in the Carabao Cup third round victory over Nottingham Forest – managing just one minute of senior football in the Premier League having come off the bench in injury time during the opening-day defeat to Burnley.

But in the days following that social media outburst, the youngster was included in Conte's match day squad for the league clash with Crystal Palace – coming off the bench for the final 25 minutes with his side chasing the game.

Earlier this month following Musonda's comments, reports suggested Chelsea were now considering sending the Belgium Under-21 international out on loan when the transfer window reopens in January, with hope of him replicating the success Andreas Christensen enjoyed away from Stamford Bridge.

But the Evening Standard now reports that Conte intends to keep him as part of his first-team for the remainder of the 2017-18 season, feeling the youngster will get opportunities with Chelsea fighting on four fronts this season.

Musonda scored on his senior debut for the club in that EFL Cup clash with Nottingham Forest and is expected to feature in Wednesday's fourth round clash against Everton at Goodison Park.

"I think for the game against Everton it is a good opportunity to give a chance to young players like Charly Musonda and Kenedy," Conte was quoted as saying by the Blues' official website on Monday. "They are young but they deserve this chance because they are working very well, they are improving and to see the improvement during a tough game against Everton, I think is important for the club."